Fire-place frame



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m E. T. HARRIS.

FIRE PLACE FRAME Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

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No. 424,059. Patented Mar. 25. 1890.

Ai ies'-s': I v jzZ/en/ax UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIJAH T. HARRIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

,FIRE-PLACE FRAM E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,059, dated March 25, 1890.

Application filed March 19, 1889. Serial No. 308,867. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELIJAH T. HARRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fire-Place Frames, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the construction of frames for fire-places; and its objects are to cheapen their manufacture, increase th eir durability, and at thesame time make them adjustable within certain narrow limits, so as to fit openings varying slightly in dimensions.

My invention, speaking generally, consists of the facings, which are preferably of brass,

corner-pieces, and a single light frame, preferably of iron, to which the brass pieces, including the corner-blocks, are secured. At each corner I provide a clamp adapted to hold the corner-piece,the abutting ormitered ends of the facing, and the frame in proper relation to one another. By loosening the clamps the frame may be adjusted slightly to fit different-sized openings.

My invention will be readily understood by reference .to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a fireplace provided with a frame embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a rear detail View of one corner of the frame. Fig. 3 is a sectional View upon line as a: of Fig. 2, illustrating the clamp in detail. Fig. 4 is a rear view of a corner of the frame with the clamp removed.

Like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference throughout the different figures.

The frame a consists of a single piece of band-' iron of the required weight and size. At the upper corners I provide curved angles, instead of right angles, as used heretofore, and provide a fastening between the frame and facings, as hereinafter described, so as to avoid the necessity of drilling a hole through the frame at each corner. The bending is done satisfactorily while the iron is cold, andno corner welding is required. The sides I) c of the facing, as well as the top piece d, are of usual construction, being preferably mitered at the corners, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4. Corner-pieces f are provided, as shown, to cover up thecorner-joints and at the same time aid in holding the. frame as a whole together.

The iron brace or strengthening-frame a, is bent at the corners, and is of such size as to leave a margin for adjustment between the bolt g and the ends h h of the flanges of the may be adjusted so as to be closed or open. It is evident that these joints could notbe opened, so as to enlarge the frame, unless there were space between the ends h h of the flanges and the inner concave edge of the strengthening-frame athat is to say, if the frame a at each of the upper corners were fit ted closely to the ends h h of the flanges, it is evident that the facings could not be adjusted to different-sized openings by making the opening at the mitered joints greater or less, according to circumstances. The clamp at each corner consists of the said bolt g, provided with a nut 1L and a metallic plate k, which is preferably of the form shown, so as to conform to the space between the flanges 0f the facing. Thus I preferably provide a notch Zin the plate opposite the ends h h of the inner flange of the facing, while at the outer corner the plate is made to conform to the inner edges of the outer flanges. The plate is thus adapted to be pressed against the strengthening-framc (t by means of the bolt and nut, as shown.

The parts of the frame at each corner, c011- sisting of the corner-piece, the angle of the strengthening-frame, and the two ends of the facing, are thus securely held together without the necessity of weakening the strengthening-frame by a bolt-hole.

The supporting-frame a is conveniently secured, near the lower ends thereof, to thedifferent side pieces or facings b c by bolts m 'n. The margin of adjustment at the corners should be, say, from a quarter to half an inch, so as to allow for variations in the size of the tile of different lots and different makes.

My fire-place frame as thus described requires less labor in its manufacture than any with which I am familianwhile at the same time a greater amount of strength is obtaine with a given amount of material.

The manner of fastening the corners tofacingsthat is to say, the mitered joint ICO gether by clamping devices, while avoiding the necessity of drilling the snpporting-frame at the corner, affords a very convenient means of adjusting the size of the frame within the narrow limits required on account of differences in the size of the surrounding tile.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The eon'lbination, with the side and top pieces forming the facing, and the cornerpieees, of a supporting-frame formed of a sin gle piece and having curved corners and secured at its lower ends to the different side pieces of the facing, respectively, and adjustable clamping devices, one at each of the corners, whereby the supporting-frame together with the pieces of the facing and the cornerpieces are held together and an adjustment of the size of the frame thus formed permitted, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the strengthening-frame consisting of a single piece having curved corners, of a clamping device at each of said corners and the faeings, the clamping devices holding the frame and facings together, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. As an article of new manufacture,aiircplace frame consisting of the side pieces and the top forming the facing provided with 1111- tered joints at the corners, and a strengthening' frame having curved portions placed behind said facing and a clamp at each corner over themitered joint thereof, pressed against the curved portion of the strengthenirig-frame by a bolt and nut, the space between the bolt and the inner ends 71 h of the flanges provided upon the facing being greater than the width of the strengthening-frame, whereby an adj ustment. of the facing to different-sized openings may be effected, substantially as and for the purpose specified,

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 16th day of March, A. I). 1889.

ELIJAII 'l. HARRIS. \Vitnesses:

ELLA EDLER, GEO. R. PARKER. 

